James Milner might be 'bit-part player' at City, says Stewart Downing

Stewart Downing has warned James Milner it will be difficult to hold down a regular place at Manchester City and that the midfielder might have to be content with being a "bit-part" player if he decides to leave Aston Villa this summer. Downing suspects Milner has already made up his mind about where he wishes to play next season, despite the fact that Manchester City have yet to meet Villa's asking price. Villa flatly rejected a £20m offer from City in May but are bracing themselves for an improved bid, with Downing suggesting it might represent "good business" for the Midlands club if they receive a substantial sum for Milner and reinvest that money to bring in several new players. The Villa winger is less convinced, however, that joining City is the right move for Milner at this stage of his career. He believes City are already overloaded with midfielders and questions how much football Milner would play next season as Roberto Mancini strives to keep all the big names in his squad happy. "It will be interesting to see what XI [the manager] starts with because he's got that much quality in that squad," said Downing. "They're all going to be fighting for places. It's going to be hard and it will be hard for James if he goes there. Will he play? I can't think how many midfielders they've got. I think that will be one of the decisions [that he has to consider]: 'Do I want to go there and be a bit-part or stay here and play?' That's totally up to him. I am sure he's probably already made his decision. "If James did go, and the money is what they're talking it is, it's a substantial amount for one player. If you could replace James with a player in and around his ability you would probably say it's good business, because you might be able to get another one in as well. All players have their prices and, if it's a big amount of money like that, do you not take it and then never get it again, or do you cash in and then buy someone of similar quality? It's a big decision for the club and the management." The former Middlesbrough player believes City will be under huge pressure to win silverware next season following another summer of heavy investment, although he harbours some doubts about their transfer strategy. "You can't spend that much money and not expect to win something, so there's a lot of pressure on them to get it right. And sometimes it's hard when you try to gel players into a new team. It doesn't matter how much you paid for them. If they don't click, then it doesn't work. "It's not all about money. You can spend as much as you want on a player but, if he comes to a team and it doesn't work – look at Robinho, he was bought for big money and he's gone on loan. Sometimes you have to buy a player to fit a team and not just a player because of his name." Having missed out on the World Cup, Downing admitted he is keen for the new season to get under way. He is particularly eager to force his way back into the England squad after missing out on the World Cup. The winger had hoped at least to make it into Fabio Capello's provisional 30-man squad for the finals in South Africa and remains upset that the England manager gave him no explanation for his omission. "In the 30 I think there were a few surprises, not only out of the squad but in the squad as well. The only disappointing thing is I didn't get told why I was not in the squad. I am sure a lot of people are in the same situation as me. There's no point moaning, the only thing I can do is make sure I have a good season with Villa and get in the qualifying squads. The manager has said there will be changes, so we'll wait and see when he names that squad in August."